On Sports, Entertainment, and Other Non-Important "News".

Caring about sports is a mainstay in my life. It's a meaningless pursuit that is nonetheless attractive. Sports reporting is about six times saner than normal news reporting, which seems counterintuitive when you realize how utterly meaningless it is.

But sports sports journalism, entertainment journalism, and sports entertainment and journalism are all kind of intertwined. Be prepared for a bit of a ride.

A-rod's agent says he's going to opt out of his contract. Okay. He's been booed a bit before. He probably would like the opportunity to "take" another team to the big-time. Winning a WS as a Yankee is almost expected. Winning one for the Cubs would make him a legend. Blame him? I'd take a pay cut for that shit. He's going to take a pay cut, I'm pretty sure. Even ownership as unwise as the Marlins' isn't going to pay him more. If the NYY's are stupid enough to let him go, he's not going to get that same deal elsewhere, not because they don't want him, but because they can't afford him.

But the controversy is this: Should he have announced during Game 4 of the WS? Sure. Why not. It's not "news" in any sense. It's only news because it got picked up. It may have even been leaked. Business does not stop for the World Series. Sounds like it may have even been a Y's leak. Shut up about it. If you are a reporter and this offends you DO NOT REPORT IT. If you do not want to talk about A-rod resigning, which IS a story, during the WS, DO. NOT. REPORT. ON. IT.

Don't whine about him not having respect for the game while you are not only reporting on this during the world series but WHINING ABOUT HIM FORCING YOU TO REPORT ON IT during the World Series. JUST. SHUT. UP. Leave it till Monday. Or Tuesday, the off day, whatever. Just chill out, report on the WS. What's that? The WS wasn't that exciting anyway? We'd lose money? Well gee. You rag on a guy for treating the game like a business, then act like a business. You have two choices. Stick to your principles, and be able to claim the high ground. Or abandon them for the money, and lose respect and the high ground. In sports reporting, I don't really give a shit what you choose. But it chafes my ass to hear you whining about reporting on it while reporting on it for the money.

You can just NOT report on it. Sure, you might take a hit in the ratings. But if respect means anything, then surely you'll carve out a nice niche rating? Surely if you're going to call A-rod "disrespectful to the game", you'd have shut up about it during the game? But no!

Look. It's like a kid working at McDonald's. I know what it's like. The job sucks. Just do it to get by, most of them. Maybe a couple really find their stride, but most of them just do what they have to do to get by to the next day. I don't blame them. I know what it's like, alright? But don't act like some sort of martyr. Don't act like you're forced to report on shit. If you have to do it to keep your job, just shut up and do it. If you're willing to take a stand, do that. But don't act like somehow you can do it both ways. If you're going to provide halfassed service and do whatever you think you need to do for the money, don't act like you somehow deserve respect for selling out. I ain't gonna hate you for selling out but I'm sure as hell not going to beleive that somehow you're on the moral high ground here fella.

Britney. Same thing. Don't whine about how everyone is talking about her, then do a story on her. Alright. I get it, you're "E". This is your thing, you exploit the market. But what about you, CNN? MSNBC? FOX? Whatever? Either you are a serious news organization, and above this sort of thing, or you are NOT. Either just do the celebrity masturbation to maintain profits and ratings, and fucking shut up with the hypocritic, self-righteous bullshit, or DON'T. TALK. ABOUT. IT. Whine about other's coverage, DON'T. COVER. IT. LEAVE. IT. ALONE.

Alright? And I'm sick of the lack of empathy. How everyone pretends that just because she's got all the money in the world, that that somehow makes her a horrible monster because she's fucked up. Well duh. She's a child star, she's been through a lot. I'm not saying that excuses her, but it doesn't make her the horrible monster (or the tragic hero) some make her out to be, alright? Yeah, she's got the money. She could work through this if she wanted to. I'm guessing she just really doesn't want her kids, can't really bring herself to say so, and is going to let K rais em. Fine, alright? Yeah she's got the money but she's obviously got problems. Whether she works through them or not is up to her. It's not as if there aren't disadvantages to the way she got where she is. And a lot of people who AREN'T stars like her, who didn't get to where she did through her talent or showmanship or whatever, lead lives not unlike hers.

She's the high profile case. She's an allegory for America. Okay. Whatever. But if that's how you're going to go with it, just go with it like that. But you don't. You just obsess over every little thing in her life. You give "advice" through random lawyers you invited on your show. That's not advice. Advice is private. You're filling air time and giving the public what they're addicted to. That's "E". That's not journalism. Stop reporting on this shit and calling yourself a serious journalist. That's all there is to it. You do entertainment news, you're just an entertainer. You seriously cover serious news, you get to be a journalist. You don't "deserve" the moniker of Journalist. You earn it. Don't whine about the lack of principles on her account and those around you when you obviously are willing to do whatever to keep the McDonald's reporting job, okay.

So yeah, I have empathy for Brit. Doesn't mean I give her a pass, doesn't mean I think she isn't ultimately the one in charge of what happens to her, but I can guess what she's been through, the trades she had to make for where she got in the world and in her business. She has got the money, which is more than most people got. But she also GOT there, which is more than most people got. And while she isn't the best person in the world, the best mom in the world, she did a lot better than a lot of people. And while she did choose the fishbowl, everyone around her chose to crowd around it. Either ignore her, or stop whining and pretending like you're the commonsense messiah.

Sports. Sports is entertainment. Don't read too much into it, alright? Don't worry about whether Brady runs up the score. It's a football game for the love of god. He's paid to do what he does. Do you want him to go out there with the idea that he's not going to hurt someone's feelings? Jesus.

Cheating. Bellichek "Cheated". Fine. He cheated just like every linebacker in the NFL cheats when he gets away with a hold, or a silly snap count, or whatever other tricks they use. Bellicheck got caught. Shut up about "Spygate." He's a winner, he looks for advantages where he can find them. I root against the Pats. But I have to admit I like the man. I like how his team has held up in the face of this fucking nonsense. And I've almost become a fan just because of how everyone is lining up to shit on his face.

When this shit first broke, the wind was blowing the other way. Everyone changed their opinions to fit the NFL rulings. You're all NFL flunkies and don't pretend any different. You lick ballsweat to keep your job. Fine. But don't pretend otherwise. What this guy did was no different than what the linebacker who knows how to hold and fuck with snap counts to draw offsides does. No different than the guy on 2nd base trying to steal signals. No different than any other act of gamesmanship in sports. It adds drama. It adds intrigue. You're not going to stop it. Perhaps the Pats were cavailer about it, but whatever. If they got caught holding, Penalize them. Take away a win. Or just shut up and stop acting so offended. I don't care which. Just throw the flag, call the foul, assess the penalty, say don't do it or don't get caught next time. Don't pretend like it doesn't happen or whatever.

The Pats are fucking cleaning up without the "spy" videos. Imagine that. Maybe it's because he's a fucking visionary coach that took a team that wasn't that good to dominant, dynasty status? I don't like the team that much because I have a soft spot for the underdog, okay? I want them to go 16-0 and then I want Indy to kidneystab them in the playoffs. Then Indy wins a meaningless game against whatever bullshit the NFC fields this year. But don't act like the Pats aren't good or that the Pats don't have class because they did what every fucking team does without getting caught.

And if running up the score is bad? Don't treat stats as important. Don't care about anything other than rings, and if you don't talk about anything other than that, the next generation of footballers won't give a shit about anything other than rings. And they'll play it safe when they're way ahead. But when you dicksuck all day long about most TD passes or whatever... of course when they play that shit opponent they're going to see how much they can get. They're competitors, they want to be the best. They want to break records. You get it?

Jesus. Just shut up. It's all sports entertainment. Take it for what it is. Laugh at the silly things, cheer for the exciting things. That's all you need to do. It's a game. It's fun. That's all it's meant to be. Just cheer, laugh, cry for your team.